Fastener



J. GAYNOR.

FASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. 1920.

Patented Apr. 11, 1922.

IN l/EIV TOR 4/065 Gimme A TTORIV E Y8 {rill/jiiT/iiiiiiI/II/l WITNES$E8 JOSEPH oAYNon, or new YORK, N.

Application. filed June 16,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L'Josnrn GAYNOR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Queens, College Point, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to fasteners, and has particular reference to meansfor fasten ing' closures to ,thebody portions of casings, such as the casings of musical instruments.

An object of theinvention is to provide a fastene'r'j which,in a simple and efficient mann'er,"not only fastens the closure to the body portion but grips the body portion along its edges to provide rigid space relation between the closure and the body por' ti nis i v. ,7

. Another object residesin the provision of means whereby the fastener also serves as a metallic; reenforcing element to resist "the wear and tear on the casing when it is placed onend.- Q f A further object residesvin the provision of means whereb'y'a semi-rigid closure for casings such as are used" to hold musical instruments may be fastened to the body por-' tion of the casing in a manner whereby a semi-rigid closure functions equally as well as a rigid closure. s V A still furtherobject resides inthe particularconstruction 'and ',arrangement of parts aswill be hereinafter set forth in the following description and claims. o

In the ordinary relation of a casing body portion to its closure, it has been'generally' customary to provide a fastenerito latoh'or lock the closure to the body portion after the contents have been placed within the easing, Under the stress of the transportation of a'casing withitscontents, duringjwhich time it may be'placed in a variety of positions and the parts, particularly the closure, may be subjected to stresses which tend-fto disturb its space relation with respect tot the bodyportion, the fa'stenersheretofore pro-V vided have not, as arule, proved efiioient.

This is particularly true with respect to musical instrument casings, which are ordinarily made of-lather or cloth and :provided with ratherdOng, narrow flap of semi-rigid material which has been fastened to the body portion of the casingme'rely at one end. Whenever. the casing has been placed on one. endfthei full weight ofjthe specification-ofl etters Eatent PPatntfifl 1920. Seria1No.389, 4 14.' r

contents has been borne by the, semi-rigid closure, andfthis has'been broken orsubjected to undue strain because of theinsuffn' cient fastening means provided. My invention, therefore, COIHPIISBS, the provision of a fastener which cooperates between the body portion of a casing and the closure portion to provi denot only a latching or fasten ing meanstherebetween but also toprovide a simple and eflicient gripping means'whereby the space relation between the body 'por tion and the closure portionis'maintjained rigidly under any stress to \vhichEthese portions may be subjected,

My invention also comprises the provision of a metallic rimior face on one portion of the fastener so disposed that when the casing is placed on one'end thisme t'allio por 131011 will ordinarily contact with the "ground,

or other surface upon which the casingis' placed, to take the'wear off the casingv and 7 thereby greatly; increase the life thereof 5' My invention specifically comprises the construction 7 and arrangement j of parts which will be clear from-a considerationiof after set forth. 1 v The invention is illustratedinmean-w, ing, of which p I -1 j Figure l is aperspectiveview olf'ono form the detail description and the. claims'herein' v r of my invention showingit as appliedt'o a musical instrument casing and showing the general arrangement of the parts;

Figure 2 is a partialbross section'f taken on the line 2+2 'of'Figure l I Figure 3 is an elevation ofthefastener as viewed looking of the caslng; and

F 'gure' 4 1s a View of the fastener "as seen looking toward-the end or closure portion of the casing,

As illustrated i'n' the drawin' my'invention is shownas applied to a musical in strument casing, such as a. casing for a provided'with side walls 2', At one end, the

e h body portion 1 .1

, guitar. casing is ofthe form shown in Figure 1 and comprises-'af-body' -portion "1 larger, end, the casing is open; and this ar i rangement IJI'OVldBSRILOP eningthroughwliich the instrument maybe'in'troduced into-the casing. This openingis adaptedito be closed by a closure portion 2' inthe'formof afiaP which at one end maybe integral vwith the I side wall portions '2" or Imay'be attached thereto-in any suitable manner, and which sure or flap 2 is adapted to rest, and which I sure portion intermediate its length;

flange forms means whereby the flap may be relieved of considerable strain in the ordinary use of the device. It has been found, however, that, when the casing is being transported with the musical instrument therein, if other means than the fastening means 3 is not provided there is a tendency for the flap portion 2 to be subjected to an due strain and to be warped out of shape and out of relation with respect to the body portion, particularly when the casing is placed on end and the weight of the instrument therein is borne substantially entirely by the flap portion 2.

To the end that these objectional conditions may be eliminated, I' have provided a fastener which is to be attached to the clo- This fastener comprises a portion 5 which may be riveted to the body portion or to the closure portion. It is shown as applied to the closure portion 2. This portion 5 is disposed, as shown, on the closure portion adjacent the middle portion of the ed e of the body portion 1, and is so bent'as to provide a grooved portion 6 which is adapted to fit over and embrace an edge of the body portion 1. The outer, end 7 of the fastener 5 is provided with a slot which engages a spring latch member 8 on a plate 9 which is suitably fastened, as-shown, to the body portion 1. It will be readily observed, however, that the fastener may be reversed, so that that portion whichnow is fastened to the body portion may as well be fastened to the closure portion, as long as the particular engagements set forth are observed.

It will be apparent from a consideration of the figures that the metallic outer surface of the grooved portion 6 may serve a reenforcing element or metallic contact plate for the lower edge of the body portion'l when the casing happens to be placed. on this end, so that considerable wear is taken up by this plate andtaken from the body portion itself. By providing the fastener 5 with a gripping portion 6 and a latching portion 7, I have in a single means provided adevice which not only is adapted to rigidly connect the flap 2 to the body portion but,

.at the-same time, firmly grip the edges of the body portion to maintain a rigid and proper space relation between thetwo portionsof the casing. Another fastener similar to the one'described is placed adjacent the other edge of the body portion as shown in Figure 1, and is similar thereto in every respect.

In the operation of the device, after the instrument has been placed in the casing, the flap or closure 2 is placed over the opening in the casing and the latch 8 is closed. It will be found that owing to the resiliency of the end portion 7 of the fastener the engagement of the slot in the end portion 7 with the latching member 8 is almost automatic. To remove the closure 2 from the end of the casing, it is necessary merely to unlatch the. fastener 3 and then exert a slightlateral force on the tips of the portion and a fiaplike closure portion fastenedat one end to the body portion, fastening means adapted to maintain the flap adjacent the body portion, said fastening'means comprising means for latchingthe flap to the body Portion, and means for gripping the body portion to maintain a rigid space relation between the body portion and the flap.

3. A casing comprising a body. portion and a fiaplike closure portion, fastening means adapted to dispose the flap adjacent the body portion, said fasteningmeans being located intermediate the lengthof the flap and comprising means for latching the flap to the body portion, and means for gripping the body portion to maintain av rigidspace relation between the body portion and the flap;

4:. A casing comprising a. body portion and a flaplike closure. portion fastened at one end to the body portion, a metallic fastener attached to one of said portions, means on said fastener to latch with the other portion, and means on said fastener to gripthe otherportion to maintain a rigidspace relation between said portions.

. 5. A casing comprising. a body portion and a semi-rigid flaplike closure portion, a fastening device on'the flap intermediate its ends and adjacent one edge of the body per.

tion, means on said fastening device to latch plate disposed on one portionadjacent the edge of the other portion, and latching means on said plate adapted to engage with the other portion, said platehaving a groove integral therewith and adapted to embrace.

one edge of the other portion and maintain a rigid space relation between said portions.

7. A casing comprising a body portion and a flaplike closure portion fastened at one end to the body portion, fastening means at the other end of the flap portion to attach the flap to the body portion, a second fastening means on the flap intermediate its length and along one edge thereof, said second fastening means comprising a latching plate for engaging with the body portion, and a gripping means on said plate for engaging with the edge of the body portion to maintain a rigid space relation between said portions.

8. A casing comprising a body portion and a fiaplike closure fastened at one end to the body portion, fastening means .on the the flap to the body portion in'a closed position, a flange on the body portion adapted to support the lateral edges of the'flap when 1 the flap is in its closed position, and fastening means disposed on the flap and the body a portion intermediate the length of the flap 'to fasten the bodyport-ion to the flap.

9. A casing comprising a body portion and a flaplikeclosure fastened at one end of the body portion, means on the free end of the flap t fasten the flap in closed position with respect to the body portion, a, flange on the body portion adapted to lie adj acent the flap when the flap is in its closed position, afastening plate onthe flap and co-operating fastening means on the body portion, said plate having a groove adapted to grip the flange onthe body portion and maintain a rigid space relation between the body por-' tion and the flap. V

' JOSEPH GAyNoR. 

